Main description:

The natural world with a large number of terrestrial and marine plants and lower organisms is a great source of bioactive compounds historically used as remedies in various diseases. Within the last decade, such compounds became more attractive targets for pharmacologists and the pharmaceutical industry in drug development projects. This volume presents the pharmacological potential of chemically defined natural compounds obtained from plants, fungi, algae and cyanobacteria with antiparasitic activity, that have been tested against various endo-parasitic protozoan and helminth species. Additionally, the advantages of combined therapy using antiparasitic drugs and natural compounds with selected specific activity are reviewed and explained in the context of host pathology and immunosuppression induced by the parasites. The conclusions of this new book give suggestions for further non-empirical drug development and discuss perspectives of alternative approaches to therapy of parasitic diseases.

Contents:

Protozoan infections, pathology and therapy.- Current antiprotozoan drugs and problem of resistance.- Natural compounds with direct antiprotozoal activity.- Natural compounds isolated from higher plants.- Bioactive compounds from lower terrestrial organisms.- Marine organisms - undiscovered source of the potential drugs.- Concluding remarks.- Parasitic helminthes of human and amimals: health impact and control.- Anthelmintic drugs - efficacy, side effects and resistance.- Natural compounds with direct anthelmintic activity.- Anthelmintic potential of higher plants.- Lower terrestrial and marine organisms in anthelmintic drug discovery.- Concluding remarks.- Combined therapy of parasitic infections using substances from natural sources.- Host pathology and immunosuppression during parasitic infections.- Natural compounds with immunomodulatory effects.- Natural compounds with antioxidant and other host-protecting activities.- Summary: perpectives and possibilities in drug discovery from natural sources.